BB: Well, it's always good to get started, come back here at the end of July after we've been through the spring and gotten to the point we had to at the end of OTAs and get started. New year, starting all over again, a lot of new challenges, some great competition out here. We'll see it all through training camp in our scheduled workouts with Jacksonville, Houston and Detroit. So, a lot of work to do. We're just going to take it one day at a time, try to go out there and accomplish things every day, try to continue to get better, improve on the things we need to work on. There are obviously a lot of things that we did in the spring that we made some progress on, and then there were a lot of things that we weren't able to do because of the restrictions that we had in the spring that we'll deal with here in training camp as it relates to contact and technique and leverage and that kind of thing that will be a big emphasis for us here in camp. Looking forward to getting going, but just take it one day at a time, try to put one foot in front in the other, build good fundamentals, build a good base and see where it takes us. It'll be a long haul, but I think we're all excited to get started.
Q: Did every player report today?
BB: We'll have an update on the roster at some point.
Q: Is it too early to assess the condition in which the players came back?
BB: Yeah, the players reported today. We haven't done anything. The players that were here Monday are - yeah, were there.
Q: Do you have joint practices planned with Detroit before the team's third preseason game?
BB: Yeah, we'll be working with them.
Q: So you'll be doing three different joint practices during the preseason?
BB: That's right.
Q: You usually do two. What made you want to add a third joint practice?
BB: We thought it would be beneficial to our team.
Q: Will the joint practice with the Lions be in Foxborough?
BB: No, we play in Detroit.
Q: Makes sense then.
BB: Yeah, no. They're not going to come here.
Q: What drew you to David Harris to sign him?
BB: We thought he'd be competitive with our team, be able to help our team. So, we'll see how it goes.
Q: What have been some of your first impressions of Harris after having him around the team for a short time?
BB: Well, yeah, David's an experienced guy. He's played a lot of football. He's been in the division. He has pretty good familiarity with our opponents. But, yeah, we haven't worked with him, so we'll see how it goes. He's had a very productive career, so we'll see how it goes. Hopefully he'll be able to help us.
Q: David has only missed one game in the last eight seasons. Does that durability appeal to you?
BB: Well, there's nothing more important than the health of the players. Look, those are eight years in another situation, another team, so they are what they are. They're in the books. I don't know if they really mean anything for this year. This year is this year for all of us. None of us have done anything. We all have a long way to go, we all have a lot of work to do, so we're all in the same boat. We're all pulling the same oar. That's where it is right now. It doesn't really matter what happened some other year, some other place, some other time.
Q: Is the process of signing a veteran player different than signing a guy who has only been in the league a couple of years?
BB: I mean, every player is different. Every draft choice is different. Every veteran player is different. I mean, every play is different.
Q: Does the experience David has in the league help him acclimate to your system more quickly, even though it is still a new system to him?
BB: I don't know. I mean, we haven't met with him. He hasn't practiced with us, so I don't know.
Q: Will you be adding players to fill the two open roster spots before practice tomorrow?
BB: I don't know.
Q: I was reading a national publication earlier that had me wondering: Would you opt for a piercing death stare or just utter disgust if somebody asked you about your team being hyped to go undefeated this season?
BB: Yeah, right now, we're just trying to have a good day here today, get off to a good start in training camp. We're not really worried about all that's in the future. That will come when it comes.
Q: Do you think I would have been better off reading the July issue of Nantucket Magazine, in which you were featured on the cover?
BB: For what?
Q: For reading instead of talking about you guys going undefeated.
BB: Yeah, I don't know.
Q: Do you miss having a guy like Sebastian Vollmer around the team?
BB: Yeah, Sebastian was a great player for us. He played a lot of football, played very well at a very young age for us his rookie year. He got some great players - [Dwight] Freeney, [Robert] Mathis, guys like that. Unfortunately, he didn't play for us last year. He was here, but he never actually got to play. We've had kind of life without Sebastian on the field for a year. Yes, we miss him, but we understand that's the way it is in this game. So, he's moved on and we wish him well. We appreciate everything he's done for us. He was a great teammate, great player for us, and he came a long way in the time from when he was in Houston to his rookie year here and played a lot of great football for us on both sides of the line - left tackle and right tackle. Great player to coach, work with, tough, great teammate - a lot of respect for Seabass.
Q: How do you block out the distractions that come with the expectations surrounding the team?
BB: Yeah, we're focused on one day at a time. Like I said, I guess I missed some of the big reading you guys have had. Honestly, I don't really pay any attention to it. Sorry.
Q: How important is the consistency that Matt Patricia and Josh McDaniels bring to your staff and the team?
BB: Right, well, we have a lot of consistency on our entire staff. I thought that was very helpful this year in a relatively short offseason. Those guys were able to - when I say those guys, the entire staff - were able to get into things pretty quickly. There wasn't really a catching new staff members up or bringing them up to speed or going over things. Pretty much everybody's been through everything that we're doing, both in the offseason and the regular season, our game preparation and so forth - not that we don't have a lot of work to do. I'm not saying that, but at least we have a level of experience of all doing together. So, yeah, it's good.
Q: When you look at the rest of the league, there are only a handful of coordinators that have had their positions as long as Matt and Josh. How fortunate do you feel when you look at that situation, just to have the same faces back?
BB: Yeah, I feel like we have a good staff. I mean, these guys work hard. They all do a good job, and Joe [Judge], Matt and Josh, they do a great job in their respective units, but I think our entire staff does a good job. They work together on their respective sides of the ball. They work together with each other - offense, defense and special teams - in training camp and during the season and so forth. So, it's a good, cohesive staff that works well together. We have a lot of good people. Yeah, very fortunate.
Q: Typically how far into training camp do you get a feel for what kind of team you're going to have that season?
BB: Yeah, I don't know. Just keep grinding it out day-by-day and do the best we can every day. That's really the way I approach it.
Q: How important is the consistency you have had on the offensive line?
BB: Right, well, I mean we'll see how it goes. The players that are back are back. We have new players that will be competing with them. We'll just have to see how it all unfolds. Look, again, what people have done some other year - whether it's me, a coach, a player, somebody else - it's really meaningless for the 2017 season. So, we'll see what happens this year. You know, we all have a lot to prove. Nobody's done anything this year yet. So, we'll see how it goes.
Q: How will having thousands at fans at training camp affect the overall energy of the team?
BB: We've had them out there before. Training camp is training camp. There will be a lot of people in the stands, there will be a lot of people watching on TV, there will be a lot of people at training camp. In the end, we all have a job to do. We all have something that we'll need to accomplish, whether it's in practice or during a game. Whatever our role happens to be, we'll have to go out there and do it for us to get better. That's the only way we can improve is to go out there and do our job and get better at it. I'm sure we'll have a lot of people telling us how we're doing, but that's the way it always is.
Q: Would you say that the foundation for a well-conditioned team begins in training camp?
BB: No.
Q: When does it begin?
BB: In the offseason.
Q: When it comes to conditioning, how much has Moses [Cabrera] changed the routine when it comes to the offseason?
BB: Quite a bit. Yeah, quite a bit.
Q: In what respects?
BB: Just the program that he runs, which encompasses everything - you know, speed, strength, power, explosion, rest, recovery - which, again, there a lot of other people besides him involved in that. But, on his end of it, I think he's done a great job and given our players a chance to compete at the highest level and perform at close to their peak performance. Again, there are a lot of other things that go into that, but that's been a big part of it.
Q: Boston University released a study yesterday on CTE. What is your reaction to that and the preventative measures the league has taken in the last few years?
BB: Well, I think the league addressed it. I don't really have much to add to the statement that they released. But, obviously, this is an important area that's being given a lot of attention, as it should.
Q: Do you ever worry about the future of the game when a study like that comes out?
BB: Well, again, there are a lot of studies out there. I'm not really a medical expert. That's not really my field, so I think I'll leave that to the people who are doing it.
Q: Even though you have been coaching a while, how much do you still enjoy starting over from scratch at this time of year?
BB: Well, I don't really think we're going from scratch, Ben [Volin]. We've put a lot into the offseason program, put a lot into the spring. I think we're at a point now where we're ready to move into the next phase of it, and then there will be a later point in time we'll move into another phase of it. So, this is where we are. We'll hopefully make the most of the opportunities that we have going forward to put our team in the most competitive position. We have a lot of decisions to make and a lot of those will be made for us by the performance of the players and the team and so forth, but we'll still be involved in that. So, it's that phase of it, but yeah, it's part of the team-building phase. It's good to get going
